April 05, 2009

Corporations have a big influences on our lives (especially if we are employed by one!) But one could argue that the influence of public school on our lives is even greater. Public schools shape the experiences of our children for 13 years and should provide the basis for a meaningful and productive life.

While many public schools serve their students exceptionally well, others are failing. Inequities in student performance, financial resources for schools, and teacher quality are persistent. Children from poor families and minority ethnic backgrounds have been repeatedly shortchanged.

One change initiative touted as a potential solution to low student performance and teacher quality is merit pay, or pay for performance. People tend to assume that unions oppose all such initiatives, but that's untrue. Fifty-three schools and school districts, from all over the country, have accepted federal grants that have allowed them to implement pay-for-performance through the Teacher Advancement Program. President Obama has proposed raising the number of districts participating in programs like this to 150.

Two key features of the Teacher Advancement Program are important:- pay is tied to other measures of teacher achievement, not just student performance on standardized tests- in addition to addressing pay, TAP also considers multiple career paths, ongoing applied professional growth, and institutional accountability to be key elements of the success of the program.

Any good manager knows that merit pay can be counterproductive, if it is not accompanied by reliably performance appraisals and constructive coaching of individuals not yet achieving at the highest levels. Any attempt to introduce merit pay in schools must also address the need for performance appraisals that involve more than a single classroom visit by the principal each year. The need to provide developmental assistance to teachers who do not currently deserve merit pay, so that they can increase their effectiveness, must also be addressed.